New Delhi: India is emerging as a major destination for Hollywood movie premieres. In Asia, this space was long dominated by China and Japan. Christopher Nolan, Matt Damon, Tom Holland and producer Emma Thomas’s upcoming visit to Mumbai for the world premiere of The Odyssey is proof that India is emerging as the next destination for Hollywood movie premieres. The Odyssey also marks Nolan’s first film to premiere in the country.
As part of a global promotional tour, the team is set to begin its global premiere tour from 17 July, visiting Mumbai, London, Paris and New York. The premiere will be held at Phoenix Palladium Mall, although the date for the Indian premiere has not yet been announced. Other cast members such as Zendaya, Elliot Page and Anne Hathaway are not expected to join the team during their India visit.
This is not the first time Nolan has come to India. In 2018, Nolan visited an event organised by the Film Heritage Foundation to share his views on celluloid in the digital era and encourage film preservation. Nolan has also shot two of his films here. He filmed in Jaipur’s Mehrangarh Fort for The Dark Knight (2008). In 2020, he shot in Mumbai, around the Gateway of India, Colaba Causeway and the Royal Bombay Yacht Club for Tenet.
Hollywood’s India visit
Other Hollywood A-list filmmakers such as the Russo Brothers, also visited India in 2022 for the premiere of The Gray Man, which starred Dhanush alongside Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans.
Tom Cruise visited India in 2011 to promote the fourth Mission: Impossible film, which featured Anil Kapoor.
Steven Spielberg has long been associated with India. After shooting a sequence for Close Encounters of the Third Kind in 1977, he returned in 1983 to scout locations for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. His last visit was in 2013, when he came to Mumbai for a Q&A session, which was attended by more than 50 directors from the Indian film industry.
While these directors shot brief sequences in India to attract Indian audiences, Wes Anderson went a step further with his 2007 film The Darjeeling Limited, a tribute to acclaimed Indian filmmaker Satyajit Ray. The film was shot on real locations, something unusual for Anderson, as his films are often known for their artificial sets and controlled visual style. Much of the film was shot in Rajasthan and starred Jason Schwartzman, Adrien Brody and Owen Wilson.
(Edited by Insha Jalil Waziri)